1. Objectives LAW PRACTITIONERS VOCATIONAL COURSE (ATTORNEYS, BARRISTERS and NOTARIES) (SUBJECT TO APPROVAL) The Law Practitioners Vocational Course offers high-quality training in legal principles from a practical perspective with an emphasis on legal techniques, reasoning and ethics. It aims at preparing candidates for either of the three streams (Attorneys, Barristers and Notaries) of legal practice existent in Mauritius. It has been designed in compliance with The Law Practitioners (Amendment) Act 2011 (Act No. 30 of 2011). Courses shall be taught in both English and French in line with the hybrid nature of the Mauritian legal system. 2. Course Requirements Candidates should hold an LLB (Hons) with at least a Second Class, Second Division or a Maitrise en Droit/Masters 1 (Mention: Assez Bien) or a law degree as stipulated in The Law Practitioners (Amendment) Act 2011. 3. Course Duration The Law Practitioners Vocational Course will be offered on a full-time basis and should be of a maximum of twelve months duration. 4. Course Conditions (i) The Law Practitioners Vocational Course shall consist of 3 levels for each stream: Level 1- Foundation (Initiation) Level 2- Advanced (Approfondissement) Level 3- Professional Practice (Pratique Professionnelle) (ii) Each level is divided into subjects as prescribed by the Second Schedule of The Law Practitioners (Amendment) Act 2011. 5. List of Subjects PART 1- All prospective law practitioners CPLS3001-Conferencing CPLS3002-Drafting of Legal Documents CPLS3003-Ethics CPLS3004-Opinion Writing 1
PART II- Prospective Barristers and Attorneys CPLS2100 - Administrative and Constitutional Law CPLS3000- Advocacy CPLS2101-Arbitration and Mediation CPLS2102-Civil Procedure CPLS2103-Commercial and Business Law CPLS2104-Criminal Procedure CPLS2105-Evidence CPLS2106-Family Law PART III- Prospective Notaries CPLS2107-Civil Procedure CPLS2108-Commercial and Business Law CPLS2109-Practical aspects of Family Law CPLS2110-Practical aspects of the Law of Immovable Property CPLS3005-Rédaction des Actes CPLS3006-Responsabilité Notariale CPLS2111-Revenue and Taxation Laws CPLS3007-Tenue de l Office Notariale 6. Course Plan PART 1- Prospective law practitioners (Compulsory for all) Subjects Hours/ Year Attorneys Barristers Notaries Conferencing 40 40 15 Drafting of Legal 50 30 15 Documents Ethics 30 30 30 Opinion Writing 40 40 15 TOTAL 160 140 75 PART II- Prospective Barristers and Attorneys Subjects Hours/ Year Attorneys Barristers Administrative and 30 30 Constitutional Law Advocacy 20 40 Arbitration and Mediation 20 20 Civil Procedure 50 40 Commercial and Business Law 60 60 Criminal Procedure 30 40 Evidence 35 35 Family Law 30 30 TOTAL 275 295 2
PART III- Prospective Notaries 7. Outline Syllabus Subjects Hours/ Year Notaries Civil Procedure 15 Commercial and Business Law 45 Practical Aspects of Family Law 60 Practical Aspects of the Law of 60 Immovable Property Rédaction des Actes 60 Responsabilité Notariale 30 Revenue and Taxation Laws 60 Tenue de l Office Notariale 30 Total 360 ATTORNEYS, BARRISTERS and NOTARIES Level 1: Foundation (Initiation) CPLS1000-Introduction to Mauritian Legal System (Initiation au Droit Mauricien) Distinctive features of the Mauritian legal system, Sources of Law, Statutory Interpretation, Legal research skills and reasoning for practitioners, Court Structure and Legal Institutions, Introduction aux Codes, Droit Objectif, Droits Subjectifs, La Preuve, Legal services in Mauritius. ATTORNEYS AND BARRISTERS Level 2: Advanced (Approfondissement) CPLS2100 - Administrative and Constitutional Law Constitution of Mauritius: Constitutional framework and adjudication, Electoral System, Human Rights, Judicial Review Mechanism, Grounds for Judicial Review, Procedure. CPLS2101-Arbitration and Mediation Alternative Dispute Resolution and its mechanisms, Negotiation, Mediation and Conciliation, Arbitration: domestic and international, Institutions of ADR, Practical Aspects of ADR Methods, Mauritius as a regional centre for international arbitration and mediation. CPLS2102 - Civil Procedure Supreme Court Rules, Intermediate and District Court Rules, Courts Act, Code de Procédure Civile, Courts (Civil Procedure) Act, Appeals, Practical aspects of torts, Droit international privé, Statement of claim, Plaint with summons. 3
CPLS2103 - Commercial and Business Law Business Law Practice, Practical aspects of the law of contract, Privilèges et Hypothèques, Tax Law, Corporate law: practice and procedure, Labour Laws, Practical aspects of intellectual property law. CPLS2104 - Criminal Procedure Practical aspects of criminal law, Applied criminal procedure: The information, Pre-trial proceedings, Procedure in District Court, Intermediate Court and Supreme Court, Hearings in court, Appeals. CPLS2105 - Evidence Preliminary evidential matters, Types of Evidence, Burden and Standard of Proof, Competence and Compellability, Examination of Witness, Opinion evidence, Confessions, Corroboration, Hearsay evidence. CPLS2106 - Family Law Etat des Personnes, Incapacités, Filiation, Mariage, Nullité et Divorce, Protection from Domestic Violence, Régimes Matrimoniaux, Successions et Libéralités. CPLS3000 - Advocacy Level 3: Professional Practice (Pratique Professionnelle) Preparation of case, Presentation and modes of address, Speeches, Effective communication, Examination-in-chief, Cross-examination, Re-examination, Bail application, Plea in mitigation. CPLS3001 - Conferencing General conference skills, Conducting a conference with a client, Questioning techniques, Advice, Interpersonal skills. CPLS3002 - Drafting of Legal Documents General drafting, Skills, Pleadings, Style and terminology, Drafting of legal documents. CPLS3003 - Ethics Professional relationships, Etiquette, Professional misconduct, Ethical issues in legal practice, Personal attributes and skills, Codes of Ethics: practice and application. CPLS3004 - Opinion Writing Good legal writing skills, Opinion writing process, Use of law in an opinion, Advice on evidence. 4
NOTARIES Level 1: Foundation (Initiation) CPLS1001 - Introduction to Mauritian Legal System (Initiation au Droit Mauricien) Distinctive features of the Mauritian legal system, Sources of Law, Statutory Interpretation, Legal research skills and reasoning for practitioners, Court Structure and Legal Institutions, Introduction aux Codes, Droit Objectif, Droits Subjectifs, La Preuve, Legal services in Mauritius. CPLS 2107 - Civil Procedure Level 2: Advanced (Approfondissement) Les Personnes (Famille, Filiation, Incapacités), Responsabilité contractuelle et délictuelle, Sûretés réelles et personnelles (Privilèges, Hypothèques, Sûretés fixes et flottantes, Nantissement), Droit international privé, Sécurité Juridique: spécificité de la pratique notariale. CPLS2108 - Commercial and Business Law Les personnes morales: sociétés, limited companies, Autres personnes morales: Global Business Licence holders, Protected Cell Companies, Limited Partnerships, Associations, Trusts, Fiducies et Foundations. CPLS2109 - Practical aspects of Family Law Droit patrimonial de la famille, Régimes Matrimoniaux, Successions, Libéralités, Partage, La communauté, La réserve, Techniques de Liquidation. CPLS2110 - Practical aspects of the Law of Immovable Property Techniques du Droit immobilier, Le conseil patrimonial, Urbanisme (morcellements, réglementation des autorités locales), Les baux de Pas Géométriques et de biens de l Etat, Droit de la Construction, La copropriété des immeubles bâtis et les associations syndicales, Non Citizens Property (Restriction) Act. CPLS2111 - Revenue and Taxation Laws La Conservation des Hypothèques (Registrar-General s Department), Les lois sur la publicité foncière (Land Duties and Taxes Act, Registration Duty Act), Fiscalité (Droits d enregistrement et taxes de la publicité foncière), Le Cadastre, Fiscalité de l Etude Notariale: income tax et TVA. Level 3: Professional Practice (Pratique Professionnelle) CPLS3005 - Rédaction des actes Rédaction d avis juridiques, d attestations et de certificats, Rédaction de testaments et autres actes, Actes courants et techniques contractuelles. 5
CPLS3006 - Responsabilité notariale Lois sur le notariat (Law Practitioners Act, Notaries Act), Code de Déontologie, Détournement de biens ou d actes, Escroquerie, Abus de confiance, Faux en écriture publique ou authentique, La lutte contre le blanchiment d argent, la fraude fiscale et les pratiques illicites: Financial Intelligence and Anti-Money Laundering Act et autres dispositions de même nature. CPLS3007 - Tenue de l Office Notarial Comptabilité Notariale (comptes de l Office et compte clients), Tenue pratique de l Office, La responsabilité du notaire. CPLS3001 - Conferencing General conference skills, Conducting a conference with a client, Questioning techniques, Advice, Interpersonal skills. CPLS3002 - Drafting of Legal Documents General drafting, Skills, Pleadings, Style and terminology, Practical aspects pertaining to drafting of legal documents. CPLS3003 - Ethics Professional relationships, Etiquette, Professional misconduct, Ethical issues in legal practice, Personal attributes and skills, Code of Ethics: practice and application. CPLS3004 - Opinion Writing Good writing skills, Opinion writing process, Use of law in an opinion, Advice on evidence. 8. Disclaimer After completion of the Law Practitioners Vocational Course, candidates will obtain a Certificate of Attendance of the University of Mauritius. However, in order to be qualified as a professional Attorney, Barrister of Notary, candidates will need to satisfy the requirements as prescribed by the Council for Vocational Legal Education. 6
ANNEX A- SUBJECT SCHEMA Introduction to Mauritian Legal System LEVEL 1: Initiation (Initiation) NOTARIES Civil Procédure Commercial and Business Law Practical aspects of family law Practical aspects of the law of immovable property Revenue and Taxation Laws BARRISTERS AND ATTORNEYS Administrative and Constitutional Law Arbitration and Mediation Civil Procédure Commercial and Business Law Criminal Procedure Evidence Family Law LEVEL 2: Advanced (Approfondissement) NOTARIES BARRISTERS ATTORNEYS Rédaction des actes Responsabilité Notariale Advocacy Advocacy LEVEL 3: Professional Practice (Pratique Professionnelle) Tenue de L Office Notariale NOTARIES BARRISTERS ATTORNEYS Conferencing Drafting of Legal Documents Ethics Opinion Writing 7